This Halloween, it's not just about orange and black - green is the new color of Halloween. When you start thinking about the candy you'll buy, party supplies, treat bags, decorations, candy wrappers, etc...the list goes on and on - as does the garbage piling up in landfills. Not to mention the sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and food additives and preservatives that end up polluting little bodies. There's a lot of potential for some small changes that can add up to big improvements quickly.
The good news is that green choices for spooktacular parties and trick or treaters can be really easy and require no extra work on your part. Lucky for us, we have options like Whole Foods who want to help us take the greener road and have shared some of their tips with me to pass along to you.
- All natural - Every product at Whole Foods is natural so we don't have to spend our entire shopping trip reading labels. They've already made sure we won't find high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors or colors on items they carry.
- Cut down on sugar - There are lots of great candy alternatives for those concerned with sugar intake. Look for raisins, trail mix, ZBaRs (my kids devoured the Spooky S'mores flavor today), or apple slices with caramel.
- Cut out the sugar - Remember getting pennies from your neighbor or a toothbrush from the dentist? They had the right intention but maybe we can do better with some sparkly stickers, packs of pencils, hair clips, or other small trinkets. We love making up goody bags for close friends with small Play Doh tubs, rubber duckies or a coloring book.
- Better goody bags - Skip those plastic pumpkins that end up in the trash after one night for reusable grocery bags that can be used after Halloween. When I was a kid, we used old pillowcases to hold our loot.
- Go organic - Did you know that apples are #2 on the Dirty Dozen list of produce to buy organically? Make sure you're bobbing for organic ones.
- Pumpkin afterlife - Your pumpkin can be added to your backyard compost or donate to a friend. The seeds can be roasted for a high-protein snack (easy recipe: toss with olive oil & salt, bake at 300 for 45 mins.)
If everyone makes one green change this Halloween, it makes a difference. I promise. Which change can you make this holiday?
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